How can I control Ophir USB speaking devices from the PC?

All USB speaking devices (Juno, Pulsar and USB as well as the StarBright, Vega, Nova-II, and StarLite Power and Energy Meters) can be controlled via our StarLab. This provides full remote control and measurement capabilities. In addition, system integrators can make use of the OphirLMMeasurement COM object for all of our USB speaking devices that are included in the application installation. Documentation and Examples in Visual Basic, LabVIEW are found in the "Automation Examples" sub-directory of your StarLab directory.

What is the maximum number of sensors that can be connected via USB to one PC?

The StarLab can support up to 8 sensors simultaneously. This can be through attaching 8 sensors to 8 different USB Interfaces, 8 sensors to 2 Pulsars or any combination in between. Note that when working with a large number of devices you may run out of ports on the PC. In that case, you must use a USB compliant Hub.

What is the difference between the StarCom and StarLab PC applications?

StarCom is our legacy PC application which connects via RS232 (not USB), for those Ophir instruments having RS232 interface capability (Vega, Nova II, LaserStar and Nova). It performs all basic functions such as real-time data logging, saving data in PC file, off-line data viewing, printing, etc. For a relatively new computer, you'd have to check that it has a serial port to which to connect the meter. The last release of StarCom was in 2008, with all that this implies. StarCom should nevertheless be able to work on a Win7 32 bit PC. More information, including software download, is available at http://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/software/starcom.

StarLab is our full-featured PC application that connects via USB to all Ophir USB-speaking instruments (Vega and Nova II meters, as well as Juno, Pulsar, USBI and the Bluetooth-enabled Quasar PC interfaces). In addition to all basic measurement and data logging functions, it also offers a wide range of special functions (including user-defined mathematical functions), multi-channel operation, COM Object for integration with external systems, etc. More information, and software download, is available at http://www.ophiropt.com/en/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/software/starlab.

How can I interface my Ophir Power Meter (Juno, USBI, Pulsar, NOVA II, Vega) to LabVIEW?

For customers using the new LabVIEW COM Demo, there is nothing additional to do. Just open it and get started. If writing your own LabVIEW application, make sure that the OphirLMMeasurement COM Object is included in your LabVIEW application

For customers using the legacy OphInstr LabVIEW package, here are additional clarification steps to assist establishing the interface to LabVIEW when connecting an Ophir meter such as the USBI/Nova II/Vega with the USB.

The sequence for preparing to interface the Ophir USBI (or meters connected through USB) with LabVIEW is generally as follows:

BE SURE the OPHIR CD is NOT in the PC CD drive when running SWAPINF.

Disconnect any USBI OPHIR Device from the PC

Run SwapINF utility

Set LabVIEW option On

Press "Swap" button - You will be prompted to "Remove the Ophir USBI Devices before continuing"

Press "OK" (you have already removed these)

Press "OK" again (after SwapINF is done)

Reconnect the Ophir USBI device to the PC that you wish to apply LabVIEW VI's on If asked by Wizard (i.e. in XP) to update software etc.

I see that you have a new version of StarLab software available, version 3.30, that turns you PC into a laser power/energy multi-channel station. What's so great about it and why should I upgrade?

This software package is free, and when combined with our USB-capable meters such as Vega or Nova II, or our USB based PC interfaces such as Juno, Pulsar and USBI, it is the ultimate in live data viewing, collection and analysis of laser power and energy measurements. If you want to go wireless, use it with our Bluetooth enabled Quasar.

StarLab is a standalone software package that is very modular. Use it with up to 8 instruments or PC Interfaces to display and collect data from all 8 simultaneously. You can perform math functions for ratiometric measurements such as A/B, and math functions like A-B, A+B, or A *B. Display all on one coordinate system with a different color for each, or split them into several windows. View data in Line, Bar Graph, Histogram, or for tuning up one channel use our simulated analog meter with or without hysteresis. Get Live Statistics like Min, Max, Avg, and Std. Dev, or select batch size for stats.

There's more:Measure power and/or energy density , based on user defined beam size.Time-synched multi-channel logs to a single log file for later review.

If you have one of our instruments with USB or our USB interfaces download it for free now and try it out. There is no need to uninstall older versions of our USBI program if you are already using them and just want to try this out. If you don't have one of our instruments or USBI interfaces contact us, and set up a free demonstration in your lab or production floor. Here's the link to download it You'll Love It like I do.

The StarLab application together with an Ophir meter turns your PC or laptop into a full-fledged laser power/energy meter. Supports most Ophir laser power/energy sensors. Up to 8 sensors can be displayed at once on one PC. By using the Ophir COM Object, you can control the device from your own application. Supports the StarBright, StarLite, Juno, Nova II, Vega, Pulsar-1/2/4, Quasar, EA-1 and USBI devices.

StarViewer turns your Android based smartphone into a portable Ophir laser power / energy measurement monitor. It works with Ophir Thermopile, Photodiode, and Pyroelectric based sensors that are attached to a Juno.

Use StarLab to upgrade the firmware of your device. Press Here for step-by-step instructions.

Besides their use as stand-alone, fully featured laser power/energy meters, Ophir devices are easily incorporated into larger end-user applications. This allows system integrators to leverage Ophir’s excellence in measurement capabilities with legacy analysis packages.

Ophir provides a common interface for communication and control of all of our USB speaking devices. OphirLMMeasurement is a COM object that is included as part of the StarLab installation (StarLab 2.10 and higher) that allows the system integrator to take control of the Juno, Nova-II, Pulsar, USBI and Vega, StarBright and StarLite devices; integrating them into his in-house measurement and analysis package.

For communication via USB, device drivers and additional support software must be installed on your PC. These components are installed as part of the StarLab application’s installation process.

OphirLMMeasurement.dll. COM object component developed and supplied by Ophir for communication with the Juno, Nova-II, Pulsar, USBI, Vega, StarBright and StarLite devices. The COM object is registered when the application is installed.

StarLab 3.0: Introduction and First StepsStarLab 3.0: Introduction and First Steps

StarLab 3.0: Second Steps StarLab 3.0: Second Steps

Sometimes we want to not only get a reading, but perform additional processing on the reading. This video shows you how to use various functions in StarLab, such as Averaging, Scale Factor, Normalize, Density, etc.

Laser Measurement PC InterfacesLaser Measurement PC Interfaces

If all your laser measurement work involves a laptop or a PC, rather than a stand-alone meter, one of Ophir’s direct-to-PC interfaces could be an ideal solution. These are full-fledged Laser Power and Energy meters, but instead of having a separate on-board display, the PC becomes your display. In this video you will learn about the range of PC Interfaces available from Ophir.

This video explains the various items on the StarLab screen, and shows you how to perform basic laser measurements.
Part 1 of a series of video segments teaching you how to use StarLab.

Tutorials and Articles

Power and Energy Meters: From Sensors to PC

From the time of its invention, more than 30 years ago, the laser power meter was generally comprised of two parts: a measurement head and a display box. It was always considered better to have such an arrangement with a cable connecting the two because of the hazardous nature of the laser beam. As the display of the results is separated from the measurement head, so are the eyes of the operator separated from the laser beam.

Now that the PC is an indispensable part of the office and the laboratory, it is important to be able to integrate measurement instruments to the PC, particularly instruments that can gather large volumes of data. There is a need for a unified connectivity architecture wherein all measurement heads are compatible with all display boxes and are then easily connected to the PC.

LabVIEW and Ophir Power Meters or PC Interfaces

In order for LabVIEW to work with an Ophir power meter or PC interface, you must install StarLab. LabVIEW does not communicate via the StarLab application. We created a special COM object control for integration intent. You do need to Install StarLab in order to communicate with the device. The installation process of StarLab also installs the necessary USB drivers and registers the OphirLMMeasurement COM object required for LabVIEW (or other user programs) for communication with Ophir power meters and PC interfaces.&nbsp阅读更多...

Longer Length Sensor Cables

The Ophir sensors are provided with a 1.5m cable between the sensor and the smart head connector. When a longer length cable is needed it can be provided, as long as it is within operational limits. However it is not possible to add an extension to the cable, because that moves the smart head connector away from the meter or interface unit which can degrade the smart head functionality or disable it.

When you log energy from multiple sensors in parallel using StarLab, the time stamps in the various channels are synchronized with each other

If, for example, you need to measure energy at various points along an optical setup in order to characterize each stage of your system, you can place a sensor at each location along the way and connect the sensors in parallel to, say, a multi-channel Pulsar, and log the data using the StarLab application. So long as you open all channels in a single window and log from that window, all the channels will be synchronized with the same zero point. Knowing that, you can rely on the time stamps to tell you which pulse in each channel corresponds to which pulse in the other channels.
&nbsp阅读更多...

software

The StarLab application together with an Ophir meter turns your PC or laptop into a full-fledged laser power/energy meter. Supports most Ophir laser power/energy sensors. Up to 8 sensors can be displayed at once on one PC. By using the Ophir COM Object, you can control the device from your own application. Supports the StarBright, StarLite, Juno, Nova II, Vega, Pulsar-1/2/4, Quasar, EA-1 and USBI devices.

StarViewer turns your Android based smartphone into a portable Ophir laser power / energy measurement monitor. It works with Ophir Thermopile, Photodiode, and Pyroelectric based sensors that are attached to a Juno.

Use StarLab to upgrade the firmware of your device. Press Here for step-by-step instructions.

Accessories

Customers that purchase the above items also consider the following items. Ophir-Spiricon meters and sensors include a standard manufacturers warranty for one year. Add a one year Extended Warranty to your meter or sensor, which includes one recalibration.